Narnia
by Yva J
Summary: As the title implies, this is a Chronicles of Narnia crossover with BatB. Missy Parks and Vincent discover some magic in Father's Library that sends them on an adventure.
1. Chapter 1

_This story is perhaps a blatant Mary Sue, at least from my more stricter definition of the term. Perhaps you readers will be so kind and forgive me for being such a blatant softie here. This is a multi chaptered crossover with 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia', which for me was fun to write, but may seem unrealistic at best and a bit cheesy at worst. It was written some eight years ago, and it sort of give off the impression that the whole Narnia phenomena can happen anywhere, even in the Tunnels (a magical place as well)._

_The reason I am torturing you folks with this is because one of my reviewers asked me about a story with my original character, Missy Parks. I decided to dust this one off and let you have it. Sometimes it's a good idea to be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it. For a timeline, it's sort of squished between 'The Wind Will Guide Me' and 'Your Voice Awakens Me'. Missy is still in the tunnels, and this story sort of takes on a more spiritual essence to it. _

_At any rate, do enjoy, and if you have time and wish, a review would be nice. That tends to get me to put a wiggle in things and post updates a bit faster. Just keep in mind that I wrote this thing eight whole years ago, and while I'm not immensely fond of it, maybe I'm my own worst critic…who really knows? If you think I'm positively insane for being critical of it, do feel free to let me know, I won't mind of you say 'Yva, you're nuts!' It's, as most people who know me, general knowledge anyway. _

_Enjoy._

* * *

**Narnia**  
A_Beauty and the Beast_ / _Chronicles of Narnia_  
Crossover Story

By: Yva J.

**Chapter 1**

It had been a long day, and Vincent had sat down and curled up in his favorite chair with a good book. As he sat reading, he didn't notice that someone was now standing at the door to his chamber. It was Missy Parks, a young girl who had moved to the tunnels earlier that year and was still in the process of settling in there.

"Vincent," she said softly causing him to glance up from his reading.

"What is it, Missy? Is everything OK?"

She yawned slightly. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I had helped William in the kitchen for most of the evening, but when I started feeling dizzy, he thought I should go back to my chamber and try to get some sleep. I laid tossing and turning for over an hour, and I can't sleep."

"Perhaps you're overworked," he began, "sometimes when I have been working all day long, I find myself too tired to sleep. Why don't you come in, we'll drink a cup of tea, and then maybe afterwards you will be able to go to sleep."

"OK," she said softly and came into the chamber. Once she sat down, she looked over at him. "What are you doing?"

"I had just come in and sat down," he began. "I had helped Father clean out that closet in his chamber."

"He's got a lot of things in there, doesn't he?" Missy asked. "I would get lost looking around all the things he seems to have.

"Yes, he does have a lot, but I suppose living down here for 30 years, he would acquire quite a lot of things," Vincent, answered.

After some moments had passed, she looked at the book he was holding. "What were you reading?"

"Actually, I had just opened The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," he said referring to one of the books in a series of books by C. S. Lewis. "I haven't read it in a long time, but thought that it would be nice to read something not as intricate as Shakespeare."

"My mom used to read that to us," she said. "Would it sound stupid if I asked you to read some of it to me tonight?"

Vincent shook his head. "Of course it wouldn't sound stupid, Missy. I'd be happy to read some to you. When we finish our tea, I'll take you to your chamber, and then we can start reading it there, how would that be?"

"That sounds great," she said softly. "I guess it's kind of weird for me to ask. I mean I am a 12-year-old and probably a little too old to be getting bedtime stories," she said blushing slightly. She remembered how her mother had read to her when she was five. After her mother died, she had missed that more than anything. Then when she had met Vincent for the first time, she remembered how she had compared him to Aslan, the noble lion from the stories, but today, she knew that Vincent and the character were not the same.

As they drank their tea, neither had realized that Father had started to call Vincent's name from the corridor. Missy's face paled when she saw him coming slowly inside the chamber. Once he was standing in the doorway, he looked down at her disapprovingly. "Shouldn't you be in bed, Missy, it's late?"

"I know, but I couldn't sleep," she said meekly.

"We're drinking some tea, Father," Vincent began. "I intended on taking her back to her chamber afterwards."

Father nodded, and looked down at her. "Do you not feel well?"

"I feel fine, I'm just too tired to sleep," she said yawning.

"You overdid it with the work today, didn't you?" Father asked.

"I don't know, I don't really think I did that much."

"In that case, would either of you mind doing just one more task for me?" He looked at Vincent in particular. "I need someone to move some heavy boxes in my chamber, and you're the only one strong enough to do it. I thought since you are still up, maybe you could do this for me."

"Of course, Father, I'll help you," Vincent volunteered.

"Missy, I also have a little something for you to do, if you wouldn't mind," Father said.

"What is it?" she asked hoping it did not involve moving boxes.

"It is not too much, just some extra stuff that needs to be taken out of the closet. I have to go and clear off a place for it, as you both know, my chamber is a little untidy," he said.

"A little?" Missy whispered under her breath, but when Vincent looked at her sternly, she quieted and took a sip of her tea. When Father looked at her, she finally nodded.

"Thank you. I know we should probably wait until morning, but I still have those boxes on my bed, and it's too late to arrange with Mary another place for me to sleep tonight," he said.

"If I do something else, then I might actually be able to sleep," Missy offered.

"Perhaps you will," Father said softly and left the chamber.

Missy sighed with relief once he had left. "I thought I was in for it," she said softly.

Vincent nodded, "I thought so too, but perhaps it was good that you were still awake, then we would both be able to help him with this task. I wouldn't want him to do it all by himself, it really is too much work."

Missy finished her tea and stood up, "I'm ready then, but will I still get my story, Vincent?"

"Yes, but I'm not responsible if you fall asleep in the middle of it," he said and stood up, the book still in his hand.

Together they walked out of his chamber.

* * *

They came into Father's chamber some moments later, and could see in the darkened area of the chamber, that the entire bed was now loaded down with boxes. Vincent laid the book against one of the pillows as he looked up to see that Father was waiting for them.

"What can we do?" Vincent asked.

"Missy, can you take the clothing out of the closet and lay it on the floor over there?" Missy nodded and walked through the chamber and into the darkened closet and began her task as Father turned to Vincent and spoke to him. "While she's doing that, maybe you can start moving the boxes off the bed," he said. "I'll be right back, I'm going to see if there are some garbage bags in the kitchen I thought we could bag up the clothing and give it to Mary. Will you two be OK while I'm gone?"

Missy nodded as she came out of the closet with her arms loaded down with clothing. As Father was leaving, she returned to the closet and began pulling the last of the things down from off the racks. When she came back out into the chamber, she piled the clothing into stacks she wiped the perspiration from her forehead. "I never thought I'd break into a sweat down here," she muttered and continued to stack the clothing as neatly as she could.

As she completed the task, she could see that Vincent had nearly cleared off the bed and was in the process of carrying the boxes towards the closet to stack them inside. She watched and after waiting for some moments for him to finish the task, Missy recognized a box on the floor next to the bed. She walked over with the intention of retrieving it, but when she leaned over to retrieve it, she realized that it was too heavy for her, so she began to push it towards the area inside the closet where Vincent had already stacked a few of them. As soon as she managed to get it inside, she suddenly had an eerie feeling overcome her; she stopped pushing it, and stood up. "Vincent?" she called out softly.

When no answer came, she walked towards the back of the closet all the while thinking that perhaps Vincent was concentrating so much on the job at hand that he had failed to answer her. She ventured further into the closet, but when she felt something odd under her feet, she stopped walking and called out to Vincent once again. "Where are you?" She paused and when still no answer came, she spoke, her voice beginning to tremble. "Vincent, I'm afraid."

"Don't be afraid, Missy, I'm here, just follow the sound of my voice," she heard him speak to her in very much the same way he had spoken when they had first met almost a year ago.

"Where are we?" she called out. "I feel something strange underneath my feet, it sounds like snow crunching when I walk, but that's not possible."

"Perhaps not, but must be true, because I can feel it too. I can only see a little bit of light in front of me, but I can only tell you is that it appears we are no longer in the closet," Vincent said looking around trying to somehow get some sort of an idea of where they actually were. "I don't really know where we are, but this isn't Father's chamber. In fact, I just felt a tree branch against my arm, so it's safe to assume that we're not even in the tunnels anymore."

"I'm afraid," she said as she came close to where his voice had originated. She reached out towards him, but when all she felt was the air around her hand, she pulled her arm back and wrapped her arms snugly around her body. Wherever she was, it was much colder than it had been in the tunnels.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't allow anything happen to you," he said and turned around. Her voice was now closer, and he reached his hand out in the direction it had originated. "Missy, I'm reaching out to you, I think you're close enough to me to take my hand."

When she eventually did as he instructed, she could suddenly feel his arm underneath her hand, and she sighed with relief when she could feel his fingers encircling her hand, and holding tightly to her. She managed to come closer until she was standing at his side. "Vincent, where do you suppose we are?" she asked as they continued to walk slowly. She could not see very much in front of her, but she could feel the scratchy branches from the trees that were on either side of her.

"I have no idea," he said honestly, not wishing to frighten her, but also realizing that she needed to hear an honest answer.

"Maybe it's a place like Narnia," Missy said softly.

"I would not count on this, as Narnia is a fictitious place. Wherever we are, I think I can see some sort of light up ahead and perhaps we should walk towards it. If we can at least see where it is we are, then perhaps we might be better able to reorient ourselves and can find our way home."

Missy nodded, "OK," she finally conceded.

Vincent continued to lead her through the woods until they reached the light he had seen. When they finally reached the end of the trees and stepped out into a meadow, they could see that they were now standing in the middle of a hill, the mountains all around them, a lamppost seemed to be directly in the center of this open area beckoning them to come closer.

Unlike the tunnels of New York, it was bright here, the sun was shining around them, the sky was blue as the ocean, and though it was cold there, Vincent could feel the warmth of the sun's light against his face, and on his exposed hands. "It's beautiful here. I haven't been out in the sunshine before like this," he smiled when he felt this sensation, which had up to this point been new for him.

"Do you think we're safe here?" she asked. She had long since given up any hope that they were in Narnia, and it frightened her to think that someone might react negatively towards Vincent if they were to see him in broad daylight.

"I don't know, but I cannot sense Catherine here, and that worries me," Vincent said softly. "Perhaps we should try and find our way back to Father's closet."

Missy looked around the meadow where they were now standing. "But how? When we were in the woods, I couldn't see anything. I mean, maybe we're not in the tunnels, and I'm starting to wonder if we're in another world, or perhaps somehow we've reached some other dimension."

"I have no idea," he said, but after a few moments passed, he glanced up, "Now I can see better and there appears to be a lamppost up ahead in the clearing, maybe we should go there, and see if someone who lives here can help us."

Missy nodded, that seemed to be as good an idea as anything else, she thought, but the very instant she had started to relax, she noticed that Vincent had suddenly become tense and alert, and looked in the direction they were walking. In the distance, Missy could see nothing, but Vincent spoke, this time his voice hushed.

"There's someone coming, I can hear their footsteps in the snow."

"Maybe they can tell us where we are," Missy whispered back.

"Perhaps, but I think you should stay behind me until we find out if this person poses us any danger," he whispered.

Missy nodded, and ducked behind his tall frame and continued to follow him towards the lamppost. Periodically, she would sneak glances around him from behind to see if he had been right. When at last, she saw a strange looking creature approaching them, she hid herself completely behind Vincent only to peer out from one side every few seconds.

Vincent watched as a small creature approached. He could not tell who or what was coming closer, as all he was able to see was the parcels it carried. Vincent could also see that whoever it was that was coming closer, he or she carried what appeared to be a small blue umbrella. When the creature suddenly stumbled, the entire stack of parcels fell to the ground revealing two gentle eyes, and a playful smile.

Vincent bent down to help him retrieve the parcels and extended one of them back towards this inhabitant of this strange land. When he finally did see whom it was standing before him, his eyes widened in disbelief as he realized that was now looking down into the eyes of a creature that looked to be half man, half goat.

As soon as the Faun accepted the parcel from Vincent, his eyes too widened and he looked at Vincent with a mixture of wonder and joy in his expression.

"Oh, Aslan," he exclaimed when he saw Vincent and clumsily dropped the parcels once again. Ignoring them, he bowed humbly before Vincent. "I was not certain that you were going to be back in Narnia so soon after the defeat of the White Witch. Queen Lucy will be delighted when she learns that you have returned."

"I'm sorry," Vincent began, "I think you have me mistaken for someone else. My name is not Aslan."

Missy listened attentively to the words of the Faun and finally she came out from her hiding place only to see him drop some of the parcels once again. "We are in Narnia, Vincent," she said softly, and there was a look of joy in her eyes. "We're really, truly in Narnia. I don't believe it."

"Vincent?" the Faun looked at her, and then back to Vincent. At that moment, he must have suddenly realized that he had, in fact, made a mistake. Instead of reaching down to retrieve the fallen parcels, he bowed humbly once again, the rest of the parcels falling from his arms and landing on the snowy ground. "I must apologize for my mistake, Sir. You see, I had only seen Aslan once, and that was after he had rescued me from the terrible spell of the White Witch."

"Then that must mean that you're Mr. Tumnus?" Missy asked turning back around so that the Faun could see her better. "I've heard of you, and of your kindness towards others."

"Yes, and you, Daughter of Eve, have you a name?" he asked, his voice all the while formal.

"My name is Missy, this is my friend, Vincent," she began. "We're strangers here, we come from the tunnels of New York."

"And this is how you have come to Narnia?" Tumnus asked.

"Yes, we were simply moving some boxes into Father's closet;" Vincent said and turned to Missy. "I had no idea that Father had a magical closet in his chamber."

"He probably didn't know either," Missy said smiling weakly. "Do you suppose we ought to tell him when we get home?"

"If we get home," Vincent said softly, "I do not know the way."

Missy turned and looked at Tumnus. "We're really very pleased to meet you Mr. Tumnus, but Vincent is worried about how we might get home. Can you help us find the way?"

"Yes, yes, although I do not know much of the wooded place from which you came, I would guess that the High King Peter might be able to assist you in this matter. If not, then we would have to summon Aslan from the foreign lands of which he has journeyed. Whatever the case, I will take you to Cair Paravel and there you can freshen up and inquire how you will return to your father's strange tunnel in the closet of your world called New York."

Missy smiled slightly upon hearing his strange speech, but bowed slightly, the thought of being introduced to kings and queens as something rather exciting. "We thank you, Mr. Tumnus."

Tumnus nodded as he once again began to collect his parcels, and with Vincent and Missy's help, he eventually held all of them in his arms. Together, they made their way through the snow in the direction of Cair Paravel.

As they walked further and further through the meadow, Missy smiled as she recognized some of the places she had read about in the books. "Look," she whispered to Vincent. "There's the Witch's castle right between those two hills, and that's the Beavers' dam where the present kings and queens were given sanctuary after their arrival."

Vincent had other things on his mind; he could not stop thinking about Catherine. "Missy, are you not just a little bit worried? What will Father say when he notices that we're suddenly gone?"

"Don't you remember? In the book, the times were different somehow. When we get back, the time that has passed in New York will be perhaps only seconds," Missy said and even though he remained somewhat nervous, she looked at him. "Look around you, how many times have you seen such beautiful trees, and the sunshine practically dancing on the leaves? You said you've never really seen the sun, and now we are here, and now you can. Is that not a wonderful thing?"

"Yes, you are right, but I would only wish that Catherine could be here with us," he said softly.

"I know, but think about it, most of the people who have come here have been children. Do you think that it is possible that you and Catherine could have come here alone, you're both adults?" she asked.

"I don't know," Vincent said.

"There is one who does," Missy began, her eyes shining. "Aslan. He would be able to help us understand why we're here," she turned to Tumnus. "Please tell me, Mr. Tumnus, is Narnia having peaceful times now? Has there been any invasions or evil witches during the last year or so?"

"No, Daughter of Eve, it has been relatively peaceful during the reign of High King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy," he answered. "We have enjoyed much happiness during these times."

"How many years has it been since the defeat of the White Witch?" Missy asked.

"Three years," Tumnus replied.

Vincent sighed deeply grateful that Missy was there, as she seemed to have remembered the stories much better than he had.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Tumnus led Missy and Vincent towards the castle of Cair Paravel. Missy reached for Vincent's hand once again as they were being guided through a large courtyard toward the entrance to a large beautiful hall. Missy beheld the entire hall, and after some moments had passed, she turned to Vincent and spoke, her voice cracking with emotion. "Is it not beautiful? Like a special place that comes straight out of a dream."

"Yes," he had to admit, but Missy could tell that the only thing that was on his mind was Catherine and she wondered how long it would be before he would see her again. However, in the back of her mind, she started to wonder if she had said something that might have upset him, because he was much quieter than usual.

Rather than wait for Vincent to speak again her attention switched to the Faun who had been showing them the way inside the palace. When Tumnus finally stopped and turned around, he spoke to them. "We have arrived, I shall go at once, and announce you to Their Majesties. Please wait here."

Before Missy or Vincent could object, he disappeared inside. After some moments passed, Vincent turned and looked down at Missy, "do you think they will be able to help us?"

"I don't know," she looked down at her feet and after a few moments of shyness, she finally blurted the question that had been bothering her since their arrival in Narnia. "Vincent, are you mad at me?"

"No, where ever did you get that idea?" he asked.

"I don't know. As we were coming here, you were so quiet it scared me. I guess I was afraid that you would be upset because I am kind of excited about being in Narnia. I mean, it really is Narnia, and we're really going to meet the kings and queens," Missy said softly. "And maybe even Aslan. What would you say if you were to meet him?"

"I do not know," Vincent said honestly. "All of this time, I had believed that he was only fiction. Now, I have come into Narnia and don't know what to say or think. I wish that we had brought the book with us."

Before Missy could offer any sort of response, Tumnus returned and looked at the two of them. "Their Majesties have been informed of your visit and are awaiting you."

Hearing these words caused Missy to look down at her clothing and as she ran her hands down the wrinkled top she wore, she suddenly felt under-dressed and insignificant. After some moments of awkward hesitation, she looked nervously at Vincent and swallowed the knot that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Vincent, this is real, isn't it?" she asked anxiously.

Vincent nodded numbly, but reached over and took her trembling hand in his and held it tightly. With her hand securely in his, they entered the large ballroom together.

As they walked through the hall, Missy could barely make out four thrones at the end of the large corridor. She looked at Vincent and somehow, she knew that it was his own courage that was keeping her from turning around and running out of the large room without looking back. Never in her entire life had she felt as nervous as she did at that moment. As she looked around, she could see the evidence of a prosperous kingdom, photos in golden frames, a large red banner with a golden lion hung on either side of the four thrones.

She stopped, but Vincent pulled on her hand. "I know you're nervous, Missy, but remember, these are good people, you've read the books, you know they mean you no harm." She nodded as she wiped her free hand down the front of her clothing.

As they reached the other end of the long corridor, Vincent could see four people seated before them; none of them appeared to be too much older than Mouse, Jamie, or even Missy. She continued to hold tightly to Vincent's hand until they had stopped some four feet in front of the stairs that lead up to the thrones. As soon as he released her hand, she stood for some moments feeling sheepish and out of place. After looking around, she managed a somewhat clumsy curtsy. As soon as she managed to remain on her feet, she glanced over to see Vincent execute a bow that looked as though he had been practicing for this moment his entire life.

Peter, the High King of Narnia, stood up slowly and descended the steps. He walked towards Missy and Vincent and extended both of his hands towards them. "Welcome to Cair Paravel, I am Peter, my brother is Edmund and my two sisters are Susan and Lucy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Missy stammered, her eyes meeting those of the younger of the two kings. She offered him a weak, yet shy, smile.

"What are your names?" King Edmund asked as he stood up and came down the stairs to greet them. His eyes were sparkling as they came to rest on Missy.

"My name is Vincent, and this is Missy," came the soft answer as Vincent introduced him and Missy to the four monarchs.

"Mr. Tumnus was right, you do resemble Aslan," the youngest of the monarchs said with delight in her voice, and Missy knew immediately that this had to be Queen Lucy. She came over to them, "I am so pleased to meet you," she reached for Vincent's hands and when he offered them to her, she smiled looking up at him, her eyes shining. "I'm so happy to welcome you both to Narnia."

"Your Majesties, we would be honored to remain in Narnia, but right now we are trying to get back home, can you not help us?" Missy asked somehow regaining her composure. "Vincent misses his friend and is very worried."

The second of the two queens came over to them, "I will summon all the help I can find to assist you in getting home," she promised, "but for now, you must freshen up a little, we have had a very cold winter here this year. I will ask Mrs. Beaver to assist you, Missy."

"Yes," said the High King, and rather than sounding like a boy, he came across with the authority of a man almost reminding Missy of Father.

Vincent must have had the same thought because he looked at Missy, "The Leader," he whispered and Missy nodded as Vincent made reference to the poem she had written for Father some time ago.

"Come with me, Missy," Queen Lucy said taking Missy's arm and started to lead her towards one of the doors, which would lead out of the great hall.

Not having any other choice, Missy looked back at Vincent for a moment before she was led away from him. "Vincent," she called out.

"I'll be here when you return, Missy. Don't worry, you're going to be OK," he said offering her an encouraging smile.

As Missy left with the two queens, Vincent remained in the large ballroom, and after some moments, the High King looked at him. "Now, then. Is there anything we can do for you, Vincent?"

"I do not know, Your Majesty," he answered. "Missy and I are strangers here, and we only wish to find our way back home. We had come here somehow through a large forest near the lamppost. There we met Mr. Tumnus and were brought here."

"Peter, we should probably summon Aslan," Edmund said softly, "I have no idea about any other way to return them to their home." He turned to face Vincent; "I can assure you that, while you are in Narnia, we will make every effort to make your stay as comfortable as possible."

"Yes," the High King said, "but as for finding Aslan, Edmund, I do not know how to send word to him, he is after all, not a tame lion, and I have no idea where he is."

"Then until he comes, we will do whatever is necessary to make your stay comfortable," Edmund promised as he left the room through the same door his sisters had lead Missy out. Peter and Vincent were left alone.

* * *

Missy was standing in the large bedroom she was to use while in Narnia. Ten minutes had passed since she had been in the Great Hall and had been introduced to the four young monarchs. Lucy and Susan had brought her here to freshen up, but she found herself literally gawking at the beautiful room, instead of even washing her face. She could see a mirror on one wall, and when she looked at it, she frowned when she beheld her appearance. Her clothing was wrinkled, her eyes somewhat sunken in from lack of sleep. She and Vincent had only been here less than two hours, but she had also lived a full day back in the tunnels, and she felt increasingly weary. It feels like jetlag, she thought to herself, not even stopping to consider the fact that she had never before been up in a plane.

Now she stood in a large room that looked to be about the same size as Father's Library back home, but was definitely not as cluttered.

Seconds later, someone knocked and she went slowly towards the door to open it. Standing on the other side was King Edmund, she looked down at her clothing and tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her shirt she was wearing as he entered the room.

"I understand that everything is satisfactory?" he began.

Missy nodded, "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. I am a bit overwhelmed right now, this room is so very large."

Edmund nodded smiling down at her. "How big is your room at home?"

"Actually, my chamber is rather small," she began, "maybe about a fourth the size of this room."

"Do you like this room?" he asked.

"Of course, it is very nice," Missy said softly. "I would be kind of crazy not to like it. It's so lovely, but at home I have a dresser similar to the one over there against the wall. It's not as nice as this one, but my mother's photograph sits on top next to a small pink paper rose."

"Where is your mother?" he asked.

"She's dead," she whispered. "She died when I was five years old,"

"I'm sorry," he offered gently. "How old are you now?"

"Almost 13, I'll have my birthday in a few weeks," she said softly.

"And how did you come to meet Vincent?" he began, "I have a strange feeling that you haven't known one another very long."

"We haven't, we met about a year ago," She began. "He took me in after my father kicked me out."

"Your father kicked you out?" he asked gently.

Missy nodded sadly as she sat down on the bed and looked down at her lap. She had still not gotten over the rejection by her father as of yet. More than anything, she felt overcome with shame, and that sensation seemed to override everything else and she found herself unable to look into the sympathetic eyes of the young Narnian king.

He sat down next to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I apologize if my questions are painful for you. To upset you was not my intent."

She looked up slightly, "It's OK. I don't harbor any ill will towards you for asking. I wish only that my answers could be happier. It is not possible for me to lie to you and tell you that my life is completely easy, because it is not."

"No, I would not wish for you to lie to me," he said softly. "I must ask you a question, and it is not related to your troubles. Before we met, Mr. Tumnus spoke briefly of where you and Vincent came from, but I believe he was confused because he said something about closets, and tunnels of New York City. "

"No, what he said is true, Your Majesty," she said. "We live beneath the city of New York in a large community made up of tunnels and chambers."

"I have heard of New York, but I had no idea that there existed such a place as you describe," he began.

"I didn't know it existed either, because for most of my life, I had spent much of my life living in an apartment in the city before moving below," her face clouded over as she began to speak of her past.

Edmund noticed this and looked at her, "If you do not wish to speak of this, you mustn't feel obligated to."

"It's not any big deal. What had happened was that I had written a poem, and won a contest with it. I guess I only wanted to be successful because I wanted to believe somehow that I would be considered special in the eyes of my father. The prize was to release a book of poetry, and I became suddenly famous. I don't really understand why, but it happened and instead of being happy for me, and not working so much, my father was angry about it. Later, after he kicked me out, I realized that it was not as significant as I had initially anticipated."

"You were famous?"

"Yes, but it was dreadful. Although I was recognized for my poetry, at the same time, I was also suddenly resented for it. I love poetry, and a lot of people had said that I was special, but only because of the book or the poetry, but in Vincent's world I was special just for being me." She looked up and could see him looking at her as though he was captivated by her every word. "I guess that's what I lacked above, and with Vincent and my friends in the tunnels, I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I was loved for the person that I am, and began to believe somehow that I was of some importance."

"Missy, you are worthy and of a great deal of importance, believe me, far more worthy than you probably realize," he said gently.

"Thank you," she smiled weakly. "But, all the same, I did not mean to unload my problems on you."

"No, it was my pleasure to speak with you, really, and if there is anything I can do to make your stay here more pleasant, please ask," he said.

"I will," she said, her voice soft as he stood up.

"I must return downstairs, but I would like it very much if you would sit with me this evening at dinner," he said.

"You would want to eat dinner with me?" she asked somewhat surprised that he would want to spend even more of his time with her.

"Why do you doubt yourself, do you not yet realize that you are delightful company?" he asked.

Missy looked at him, but all she could do was shake her head.

King Edmund looked her directly in the eyes before taking his leave. "Believe me when I tell you this, Missy. I have enjoyed every moment of speaking with you, and I believe it will be a sad day for me when you eventually do leave Narnia."

Once he was gone, she stood up and went to the window. As soon as she reached the window, a loud trumpet blast broke the silence. She ran to the door and out into the hallway not knowing fully what to expect. There she met up with Queen Susan and Queen Lucy and together the three of them raced down the stairs in the direction of the large hall.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for the reviews, yes I'm a bit nutty for having written this, but it takes all kinds and I take being called crazy as a compliment! _

_Glad you like it Justin. I really enjoyed the time I put into writing it. Hope you enjoy the latest installments. And if you think I'm really crazy, then just you wait…you ain't seen nothing yet! Mwah! I guess anyone who goes and crosses 'Touched by an Angel' with the 'Smurfs' is really lacking in marble department though, but I digress. _

_Actingbug1, yes, it is bad for a gal's sanity, I can agree with you since Tumnus is my absolute favorite of the Narnian figures. So, yes, I do fawn over that faun! And of course, Vincent, he's just flat outright awesome, which is why I wrote this in the first place. Mix those two in the same story, stir well and let simmer for half an hour. Teehee._

_Oh well, enough rambling, on with the next chapter. Enjoy everyone.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

As this loud blast erupted the stillness of the Great Hall, Vincent was still standing next to King Peter.

"What is that?" he asked when he saw the look of concern cross the face of the High King. The trumpets continued for some moments before their sounds faded in the distance. This suddenly brought the two female monarchs back into the room with Missy following them, a look of intense fear shadowing her face.

As the sounds continued, Missy reached where Vincent was standing as King Edmund came into the room and looked at his siblings with a question looming in his expression. Missy could see that the faces of the four monarchs had changed and instead of smiling, they had started to frown, their attention diverting to an even more pressing dilemma than Missy and Vincent's quest to get back home.

"What is happening?" Missy asked weakly noticing the fear that had crossed Queen Lucy's face. Self-consciously, she reached for Vincent's hand.

"More of the White Witch's armies have regrouped," a slightly garbled voice emerged as a beaver entered the large ballroom. Missy turned and could see a beaver coming towards them.

"Oh dear," Queen Susan said softly. "Peter, what shall we do?"

"Yes," Edmund said. "I was certain that we had destroyed all of her subjects."

"I know," the eldest of the rulers said, but instead of arguing with his siblings, he turned to the one who had brought him the distressing news. "Beaver, could you send a message to our armies?"

"Yes," came the answer, "but I think you should know that our enemies are just outside the palace gates. It appears as though the only way to get news outside of Cair Paravel is through the underground."

"Then organize our people from within its gates," Peter said. "We must find a way to keep them from harming our people, and from penetrating the walls of Cair Paravel."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the beaver said and left them.

"I thought things were peaceful here, that's what Mr. Tumnus had told us," Missy stammered, her eyes wide with fear as she turned to Vincent. "What are we going to do, how are we going to get home if we cannot leave this castle?"

Vincent rested his hand on her shoulder in hopes of calming her, but he looked at the kings and queens unsure of what to say. Deep inside, he was wondering the same thing.

"Don't worry, Missy," Queen Lucy said gently walking over and putting her hand on Missy's shoulder. "We intend on helping you and Vincent get home, unfortunately, you must have been summoned here to help us defeat our enemies somehow."

"Yes," Edmund added, "perhaps it is Vincent who is to assist us in fending them off."

King Peter looked at him, "Vincent, will you help us?"

When he looked back over at Missy, he could see that she was frightened with the prospect of him fighting, but after her eyes met those of King Edmund, she eventually offered a tentative nod. Somehow, they both knew what her action had meant, if they were ever to get home, it would only come about if they were to assist the kings and queens in defeating this enemy.

After some moments of contemplation, Vincent offered a slight nod.

* * *

The two Kings left the ballroom with Vincent, and Missy stood watching until they disappeared. She did not like the idea of him going into battle for she feared for his safety. She tried to swallow the anxiety that was gnawing at her and glanced over and could see that Queen Susan and Queen Lucy were still there with her, but now they appeared as though they were getting ready to go into battle. Queen Susan had grabbed some special kind of horn and was winding the strap around her neck, leaving the object available for use if the need arose. As she was reaching for her bow and arrows, Queen Lucy took a small glass cordial and put it safely inside the pocket of her winter cloak. 

Once Queen Susan had finished the task of putting the sheath of arrows on her belt, Queen Lucy turned to Missy. "Do not worry, Missy, Vincent will be OK, he is brave and strong, and should be able to defend himself." She took a small knife off the table and made sure it was comfortably in its sheath before sliding it into a second pocket.

"I know he will be," Missy said softly all the while looking down at her shoes. "He's the bravest person I know."

Both Queens looked at Missy. "Person?" Lucy whispered to Susan shaking her head slightly.

"He is a person," Missy said having heard Lucy's question and seeing her action. After some moments, she looked at Lucy with a small trace of anger. "He's like a father to me, and I love him. He took me in when my own father kicked me out of his home. No one has the right to say Vincent is anything less, for he is the kindest person I have ever known in my life."

"Forgive my sister," Susan said softly resting her hand on Missy's shoulder. "She did not mean to offend your or speak wrongly of your friend."

Missy looked down at her clothing and then back up at Susan. "No, it is I who should be apologizing. I should not have spoken this way."

"Why not?" Queen Lucy asked and it seemed as though she was not fazed by Missy's words.

"You are a Queen, I am just a girl," Missy said softly. "It was inappropriate of me to speak so disrespectfully, forgive me."

"I don't understand; why should you not be honest with me?" Lucy asked. "I may hold a title, but I also have noticed that we're about the same age and perhaps it was wrong of me to see Vincent as someone less than your friend."

"I know we probably should speak of this further, and we can, but later. Right now, I believe we should go! Our brothers and Vincent will need us to help," Queen Susan said, authority in her voice.

"Would we have to fight too?" Missy asked, her voice beginning to shake from her nerves.

"No, even Aslan has said we are not to join the men in battle, but I have to be there in case someone is wounded," Lucy said. "Of course, you are right, Susan, let's go."

Missy watched as a girl who could not have been much older than her speaking with such authority and wisdom that she almost started to worry if she would be able to even offer anyone any kind of assistance in what appeared to be a war. She continued to follow the two queens through the ballroom in the direction Missy had seen Vincent leaving earlier with the two kings.

As they came closer to the doorway that would lead outside, Missy stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Queen Lucy asked as she turned around and could see that Missy's face was now unusually pale.

"I was just wondering if I could be as courageous as Vincent," Missy began. "I'm not hardly the type of person who could defend a kingdom from an invading army of goblins and ghouls. I really am such a terrible coward."

"Do you believe deep in your heart that you are not brave, Daughter of Eve?" A loud thunderous voice erupted through the stillness of the courtyard leading to the gates of Cair Paravel.

Missy kept her head down somewhat but turned around half expecting that she was to answer this question. When she finally glanced up, she could see that standing perhaps three our four feet in front of her was a large, beautiful, golden lion standing underneath the archway. She looked down at her feet as she felt the fear grip her, and she could do nothing but stand stationary. "A-," was all she managed to utter, her voice not even able to emerge even to address him with his name.

Instead of waiting for her to speak, Aslan spoke, his voice strong, assured, and very kind. "Welcome Missy, Daughter of Eve!"

"Aslan!" Queen Lucy smiled upon seeing him.

"Dear Aslan, have you returned to help us defeat the witch's followers?" Queen Susan asked at the very same moment her sister had called his name.

"No, your armies have taken care of them, for now," he said and approached Missy slowly. The girl unsure of what she should do; shrank back somewhat. "Fear not, my child, no one will harm you here, we are your friends and wish only to help you. As we speak, our army with the help of our new friend, Vincent, is defeating the enemy."

"Vincent, please be careful," Missy found herself whispering under her breath, wondering all the while if she would be able to look at Aslan and actually speak to him without her legs turning to jelly and her stomach doing flip-flops.

"You are worried for your friend," Aslan said interrupting her contemplations.

She nodded still unable to look at him, but all the while feeling a sense of comfort and truth in his words. "He is my best friend," she said softly nodding, and finally she was able to find the courage to look at him and speak his name. "Aslan."

"Do not worry, he will return to you soon," he said.

"Why have you returned, Aslan?" Lucy asked.

"I have come to assist Missy and Vincent in getting home," Aslan answered.

Missy looked up at him. She remembered what she had read about him in the books, and then how she had always hoped that she would be able to see Aslan. Now, that he was standing directly in front of her and speaking to her, she could do nothing except shrug her shoulders.

"You see?" Queen Lucy asked. "Aslan will help you get home, Missy."

Missy nodded and after a moment, she found her voice and spoke. "You mean you journeyed all this way simply to help us get home?"

Aslan nodded without any words.

"Why are we here, Aslan?" Missy asked weakly.

"In time, all of your questions will be answered, Daughter of Eve," he said.

"But, Vincent is an adult. I thought only children could come to Narnia," Missy said, the confusion evident in her voice.

"Yes, you speak truthfully," Aslan said, "but your friend, Vincent, is also very special, and he is here to discover that "

"And me?" Missy asked.

"I cannot tell you," he said. "You must discover this within yourself," he said, and could see that Missy was now inching closer to him, but before she could reach her destination, her body lurched forward as exhaustion started to overwhelm her. "What is it, Child?"

"I must be dreaming," she mumbled, but before she could even extend her hand to touch his soft golden mane before slowly sinking to the floor.

"Aslan, what has happened her? Is she ill?" Queen Lucy asked when she saw that Missy had passed out.

"She is not ill, Daughter of Eve, she is just very fatigued," Aslan said softly. "I could tell the moment I saw her. You must arrange her a place to rest."

Lucy nodded, "yes, we have already given her a room, so I believe that we ought to take her there." Once she had spoken, the few remaining Narnian helpers approached and helped move Missy back to her room.

* * *

On the battlefield outside the gates of Cair Paravel, Vincent was helping the two Kings fend off the wolves and other creatures still loyal to the witch. 

When the last of the enemies had fled or been destroyed, Vincent looked over towards Peter. The High King was cleaning his sword, his younger brother doing the same. They had both learned that every good knight did this once the battle was over. Vincent reached for a towel and began to wipe the blood from his hands. How he hated killing, but when he looked over at the two kings and received encouraging smiles, he could do nothing except walk slowly away from the battlefield and continue the task of discarding the blood-soaked garments he had been wearing.

Missy had never before seen him use his claws to harm another living thing, and yet he wondered if she were to see him in this state, she would become suddenly afraid of him. This worried him beyond reason because he had seen her poetry, and was well aware of the fact that Missy was anything but a violent person. He looked down, and dug his hands into the snow that was on the ground.

As he did, he could see the redness of the bloody battle in the fur on his hands, and he wiped it across the feathery white substance, the redness bleeding into the snow. Would he be able to look at her when he went back to the Castle grounds, and in this state? He could see that the off-white tunic he wore was now smeared with the enemy's blood. He shook his head and walked back over to the others gathered in the middle of the courtyard.

In the middle of the crowd were the two kings, and various Narnians were surrounding them, some of them animals, some dwarfs, and many mystical creatures like unicorns, and centaurs. As he reached the throng of people assembled, he smiled slightly.

"We thank you, Vincent," King Peter said softly. "We would not have been able to defeat this enemy without your assistance."

Instead of speaking, Vincent simply shrugged his shoulders and walked slowly towards the entrance to the great hall.

"What do you suppose is wrong with him?" King Edmund asked as he returned the sword to its holster and watched Vincent's movement. "Does he not know that he is a hero?"

"Perhaps not," began the High King as the two queens came towards them, but before they had reached where he and Edmund were standing, Lucy had noticed that Vincent was walking rather slowly back towards the door leading inside.

"Peter was there anyone wounded?" Queen Lucy asked as she approached.

"No one that I know of, it was a rather minor battle, and Vincent protected us all very well," he said shrugging his shoulders.

Queen Lucy nodded, her smile depicting her relief at not having to go and tend to the wounded. Instead of going to celebrate with her folk, she followed Vincent towards the door leading inside.

As she came inside, she could see him, he was standing off to one side, his head was down, and his mane of hair hanging in clumps down over his shoulders. He was wiping his hands quickly over his bloody tunic.

"Vincent?" she said softly as she came over to him.

He turned around thinking for a moment that it was Missy addressing him, but when he saw that it was one of the Narnian queens, he simply nodded his head and looked down at his hands, the feeling of shame overwhelming him.

"I will request another shirt for you," she offered.

"Thank you," he said softly. "I wouldn't wish for Missy to see me this way, it might frighten her."

"You really have become something like her father, haven't you?" Lucy asked. "But there is something I do not understand, why do you think you would frighten her?"

"Look at me," was all he said.

She did, and after some moments of silence passed between them, she reached over to him and touched the hair that was falling down over his shoulders. "I am, and I think you are so beautiful."

"My hands are covered with blood," he began. "My beloved, Catherine, somehow, she is used to this, and accepts and loves me even though I feel cursed by this instinct. But Missy  she is a child, and I would never wish to subject her to this darkness that dwells within me," he said softly, almost so softly that he wondered for a moment if she had even heard his words.

"I believe that we all possess such an instinct, Vincent. I must use mine each day as a queen here. I must be fair and caring towards those who have offered their undying support," Lucy said. "Just the same as you choose to protect and love your beloved, Catherine."

Vincent considered her words for a few seconds, but after some moments of silence passed between them, he looked back over at her. "Where is Missy, Your Majesty?"

"She fainted after you and my brothers had left to go into battle. Aslan said that it was because she was very tired, but thankfully she is not ill. Our subjects assisted in bringing her to a room where she could get some rest," Lucy answered.

"Aslan was here?" Vincent asked. "Did Missy see him?"

"Yes, she did, but I believe she was a little overwhelmed by this meeting. It is understandable though, as the first time I met Aslan I was also tense," Lucy said softly. "But he is so very kind and gives one no reason to fear."

"Your friend, Mr. Tumnus initially thought I was Aslan," Vincent said softly. "Earlier when we first met at the lamppost, he had addressed me as Aslan and said that you would be very happy to know I had returned."

"I am always happy to see Aslan," Lucy said, her eyes shining brightly, "but meeting you has been a great pleasure to us all, and you are a hero, Vincent. This battle today would not have been won had you not been here to assist my brothers and our subjects." She reached over and touched his shoulder. "That should bring you a feeling of pride, not sadness. If the witch's followers had won, it would have been the end of peace in Narnia. Perhaps you were sent to help save us from this unthinkable possibility."

"I'm no hero, Your Majesty, I was simply doing what I had to do, to protect those I care for," Vincent said softly.

"Then whatever the case, or however you view your actions, we can only thank you for them," she said.

Vincent looked down at his bloody clothing, "I'm an animal," he said softly as he walked away from her. "Nothing more."

Queen Lucy was left standing there watching his retreating back. "I'm sorry," she mumbled under her breath, "I will never view you falsely again."


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the reviews, and yes, I did write a TBAA / Smurfs crossover. It's posted in the TBAA section, or you can find it by checking my profile. Enjoy. For the record I could never write a LotR story, as I am not a fan of it and even fell asleep during the first film. Sorry. Would you settle for my Willy Wonka stories? ;) Although they may not crossover so well with CoN.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Missy awoke later and recognized immediately that she was back in her room and had been asleep in the large bed. She was still in Narnia and it appeared as though she had slept through the night and that it was now morning. As she sat up in the bed, she noticed that the door had opened and a female beaver had walked into the room, her arms covered with what appeared to be clothing.

"Did you sleep well?" the beaver asked.

"Yes, thank you," she answered as she crawled out of bed and looked outside to see the sunshine coming in through the window. Rested up, Missy felt an unusual sense of inner calm, but also she was experiencing something like anticipation, although she did not know what it was she was looking forward to.

She looked through the large window and could see the palace gardens below. The snow from the day before had melted and now it looked as though spring had arrived in Narnia. As she looked down towards the courtyard, the beaver laid a fresh change of clothes on the bed and turned to take her leave. Missy turned around and spoke before she walked out through the large wooden doorway. "Please, wait, I must ask you a question?"

"Of course," came the answer.

"Was Aslan here? I remember only vaguely speaking with him last night, but I was so tired that I probably reacted falsely," Missy said softly.

"He was here, and you did speak with him," the beaver said. "But, I would not worry, Missy, Aslan knew that you were fatigued from the journeys of the day before. He requested that you be brought back here to get some rest."

"He did?" Missy asked.

Wordlessly, the beaver nodded.

"And Vincent, where is he?" Missy asked.

"Do not worry, your friend will be downstairs when you go to breakfast. The battle last evening was successful, no one was injured," the beaver replied. "Now, I must go, as I have things which need tending before breakfast."

"Thank you," Missy offered as the beaver took her leave.

Now alone, she walked over to the bed and picked up the dress. It was a beautiful silk like fabric, with a long flowing skirt. She quickly got dressed and discovered that although the fabric was thin, the dress was warm and comfortable. It reminded her of a dress that one would wear in the tunnels during Winterfest, which Jamie had once told her about. As soon as she buttoned the front of the dress, she began to spin around the room watching as the skirt flowed through the air.

"Missy?" she stopped spinning when she heard a masculine voice calling her name just outside her closed door. She went to open it and saw King Edmund standing on the other side.

"Good morning," she said offering a curtsy, this time much more graceful than the night before. She couldn't help but smile as he came into the room.

"You look much better now," he nodded approvingly, but his comment had caused her to immediately look down at the clothing she was now wearing. It was clear to him that she was now unsure how to take his comment and that he had possibly hurt her feelings. "No, I did not say that to offend you, I simply said it because you looked so dreadfully tired last night and I was worried."

"I suppose I was, but I feel much better now, thank you," she smiled weakly.

"I wanted you to know that I was concerned when Lucy told me that you had fainted after we had left to go into battle," He reached over and rested his hand against her forehead. "Do you feel better now? Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Missy nodded smiling shyly upon feeling his touch, "Yes, to both questions."

"Good, then I shall escort you to breakfast, that is, if you are ready and wish?" he offered his arm and she accepted thinking all the while how good it would be to have something substantial to eat and wondering if she would even be capable of eating with him beside her.

As they walked, she continued to contemplate how good it was that she had watched and read many fairy tales as she was growing up, because without having done that, she would never have known how to react in the presence of a king.

She snuck another look at him; he was about half a foot taller, handsome, and she could not help but notice how he seemed to walk with so much dignity, much more than one would expect of a teenager. Perhaps it was that, which gave him the air of being much older than she rather than only having one or two years separating them. She wondered if he had always been so regal in his stance, or only carried himself this way since coming to Narnia. She could see the side of his face as it held an expression of contemplation or reflection. She had often seen such a look in Vincent, or Father, and perhaps it was that which had made her take an immediate liking to King Edmund.

As they walked the king said nothing to her for some moments, and she felt herself too shy to even try and begin some sort of conversation with him. What would she say anyway? How would he react to her words? She had already said so much to him the previous day, and it frightened her when she thought about what he might think of her for having said what she did. She was also thinking about what she had said to Lucy, and now she had no intention of offending another of the Narnian Monarchs especially one she liked as much as she did Edmund.

"You have taken a vow of silence?" Edmund's voice broke into her thoughts.

"I don't ever really know what to say," she offered honestly.

"Do you, or are you nervous?" he asked.

"Maybe just a little bit," she said softly. "I was thinking about yesterday is all, about how tired I was. Before we came to Narnia, I had been working in our home all day, and then Father asked me to help with another task. That task is what brought us here."

"Father? This is not your father, not the one who kicked you out, is it?" Edmund asked.

"No, it's not the same person. We all simply call him Father, he is the leader of our world and is very much like your brother," she said. "He raised Vincent as his son, and to me he's like my grandfather, very wise, and caring. Although he is strict, I miss him."

"Well, regardless of how you have come to Narnia, we are all grateful to whoever or whatever brought you here, Missy. Without Vincent, we would have lost everything," Edmund said. "We were cut off from much of our armies last evening, and I was not certain if we would have been able to notify help to come in time."

"I'm glad he was able to help, Your Majesty," she said.

"May I ask you a question?" he asked.

She nodded unsure of what that question could possibly be.

"Vincent seemed rather sad last evening, he left us in the courtyard to go off alone. Does he do this often?"

"Yes," she said softly. "I am often sad when he does this, because once I had come to him, and he was upset that I had followed him."

"How did you handle the situation?" he asked.

"I made stupid jokes, and ended up talking about my family much more than I had intended," she said softly.

"Why do you fear speaking of yourself or your family?" he asked.

"Because, I don't wish to have people pity me. I desire only that people accept and understand that I am different," Missy said softly.

"I do, and I admire your courage," was all he said.

"Your Majesty, I have no courage," she whispered looking down at the floor.

"Never underestimate yourself, Missy, it could do you more harm than good."

Missy nodded as they reached the stairs that would descend down into a small formal dining room. "Excuse me for saying so," she began trying to divert the conversation from herself back to Vincent. "If you had won the battle, I don't understand why he would feel so sad?"

He could tell she was concerned by looking at her, "I do not know why it was, but after the battle, he left rather quickly and I noticed that he spent much of the time wiping his hands down the front of the tunic he was wearing."

"Do you suppose he hates killing?" she asked.

"Perhaps, but please understand that none of us are particularly fond of committing these acts, Missy," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I know, I didn't mean to imply that, please forgive me," she whispered and looked down at the ground.

"Forgiveness is not necessary, I understood what you were trying to say," he said gently.

"I just meant that perhaps he is so very sensitive that maybe it reminds him of something" she paused, before her next word emerged, "dark." Shaking her head, she continued. "All I know is that if I hadn't been so terribly tired, I would have celebrated with your people. But I don't understand why Vincent..." her voice trailed.

"You really care for him, don't you?" he asked.

"He's like a father to me. I would sacrifice everything for him," she said.

By this time, they had reached a small dining area and Missy could see that Vincent was seated at a table between Lucy and one of the beavers. She could see that he was now wearing a long golden tunic, and she could see that his mane was neatly combed and cascaded down over the shirt he wore.

"Vincent," she called out his name causing him to look up. Edmund released her arm and motioned for her to go to him. She did and walked slowly over to the table where he sat. As she did, the beaver stood up and allowed her to take his place next to Vincent. "Hi," she offered shyly once she had sat down.

"How are you?" his question emerged, soft, and she could detect an uncertainty in the tone of his voice and wondered immediately if something was wrong.

"Fine," she offered her own voice filled with insecurity and it was evident that she was not sure if she should say anything further. Edmund's words were still clinging in her mind and she wanted to ask Vincent more than anything why he was so sad or about what had happened the previous night while she had slept. She wondered if it had something to do with Catherine, and concluded that it must be the case. Vincent misses her, she sighed sadly causing him to look over at her.

"Missy, is something wrong?" he looked somewhat hesitant when he spoke and it was obvious that she was troubled about something.

"Vincent, why are you so sad?" she finally asked looking at him.

"I miss Catherine," he said his voice all the while, soft. This seemed a safe enough answer for him to offer. It was also partially true, but he really had no desire to speak of what was really bothering him, at least not at this moment.

She sighed deeply once again. He doesn't want to talk to me, she thought to herself. The pain stabbed at her as she looked down at the plate now in front of her. It was at that moment, that she just wanted to leave the table, just go off and cry. When she had first come inside the small dining hall, she was ravenous, now she was so upset that she had no appetite left.

"I'm going for a walk," she finally announced to no one in particular. Edmund looked up, but said nothing, concluding only that she needed some time to herself and he knew it would have embarrassed her if he had said anything, so he remained silent.

When no one seemed to say anything further, Missy pushed her chair away from the table, stood up, and walked slowly out of the dining room. She did not look back.

Once outside, she could see the trees and the garden. The flowers were beautiful in the garden, roses, and sunflowers. It was like being in the middle of a paradise and she wondered how it could be that the flowers were now there, when it had only been yesterday that winter was in Narnia. Today, it looked as though it had been spring for weeks.

She smiled slightly as she looked around the garden, but the tears had started to stream down her cheeks as she plopped litlessly onto the soft grass. It was probably less than twelve hours since she had actually seen and spoken to Aslan. I suppose he's gone now, she thought to herself, perhaps this conversation had been simply a figment of her imagination and Aslan had not been there at all. As she sat there, she could feel the grass underneath her legs. She ran her hand across the petals of some of the flowers, but after some moments, she could feel the tears falling from her eyes, and she had started to weep. She covered her face in her hands, trying to prevent the tears from falling down her cheeks and landing on the front of her dress.

"Why do you cry, Daughter of Eve?" a now familiar voice emerged. It was a strong voice, filled with certainty and understanding. She turned her head around slightly and could see out of the corner of her eye that Aslan was now standing next to her, the beauty of his mane flowing in the soft breeze.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sad," she whispered softly, her honesty overriding any fear she might have of him. As she sat on the ground, she could feel that he had come closer and was now resting his head lightly against her shoulder. This act alone made her fear of him dissipate before her eyes and she became all the more comfortable with his presence.

"I know, I can tell," he said gently. "But, why?"

"Worry, shame, oh I don't know," she said weakly trying to wipe the tears away. The shame was evident in her eyes when she looked up, she had not expected to be caught crying in the garden, much less by Aslan himself. This made her feel sheepish, insecure, and unable to even look him in the eye. With her head still down, she continued to speak. "Usually when I feel this way, I would write poetry. I would always try to use writing as a way of making sense of everything."

"Sometimes things are not meant to make sense, they are simply there to be accepted," came his answer. "Will you walk with me?"

She nodded, as he backed away from her so she could stand up. Once on her feet, she began to dust herself off. As they began to walk through the gardens of Cair Paravel, she looked at him for the first time. "Aslan, I'm really here, aren't I?"

"Yes," came the answer and he looked at her, his gentle eyes telling her that she should not fear looking at him or speaking honestly.

"It's strange, I had always dreamed of being in a place like this. I guess, ever since my mother died, I was always searching for some sort of sanctuary," she offered freely.

"Then you found Vincent and that feeling of security became real for you when you went to live in his world?" he asked.

She nodded numbly not even bothering to ask him how it is that he knew so much about her. "I remember when we first met. I had been afraid, I was trapped in a large net, and he came to help me down. I suppose it could be compared to the same sorts of feelings I had last night, I was frightened, but I was also calm as though I knew that I had no reason to be afraid."

"You did not have any reason to fear, but I was also aware that you were also in need of rest," he said.

"Perhaps, but, Aslan, I _am_ a coward, the other kids used to call me 'Missy the Sissy'," she began.

"I do not understand what you mean by 'sissy'," he said.

"A sissy is someone who is not brave," she tried to explain. "I was once told that I was brave, but, it can't be true, I was afraid last night, though I knew in my heart that you would never do me harm. I was watching as the Kings and Queens were making themselves ready for battle and how I just wanted to run and crawl under the bed and hide." She looked down at her feet, shame evident in her eyes.

"Courage is not simply demonstrated in fighting a battle, Daughter of Eve, it is also that which lies in your heart, and gives you the strength to face each new day. You must never forget this, Missy, you possess a courage that exists deep inside of you, and it will show itself when you need it the most," Aslan said, his voice gentle.

For a moment, she was reminded of the many times she had spoken to Vincent about the same kinds of things and how similar his answers had been. It was no wonder that she had thought of Aslan the day she and Vincent had first met; there was so much similarity in their words. "Thank you," was all she could think of to say.

They continued to walk in silence.

After some moments, she looked at him. "Aslan, what about Vincent? King Edmund said this morning that he was sad last night, and I could sense it when I spoke to him this morning, but I don't know what to do about it."

"My child, there is nothing which you can do, Vincent must discover that there is something so special that dwells within him that sets him apart from the masses. He will discover it, in time," came the answer. "He will have to, for neither of you will be able to return to your home, until he does." He turned and looked deeply into her eyes. "You must not tell him any of this, Missy. This is what he himself must discover on his own."

"I won't," she promised. "I wouldn't know where to start anyway, and even if I did, he wouldn't believe me, he would say that I am only biased or saying those words because he is so very special to me."

Aslan nodded. "Your words are true."

Missy looked back over at him, she could see the wind blowing through his mane. "Aslan, why am I here if Vincent is the one that must learn?"

"I never said that he alone has a lesson to learn, Missy. It is your question about courage that has brought you to Narnia, but that is all I am going to tell you," he replied.

"Then there is something I have to learn too?" she asked as they continued to walk. As they rounded a corner, Missy stumbled slightly, and her body began to lurch forward. She closed her eyes half expecting to hit the ground, but an instant later, instead, she could feel the silkiness of hair in her hands and after a moment, she opened her eyes.

Instead of finding herself on the ground, it was revealed that her hands were now full of Aslan's golden mane, and that she was now leaning against him, her hands holding tightly to him to maintain her stance. "So soft," she mumbled and instead of drawing away, as most people might have been compelled to have done, she simply buried her face against it. Moments later, she wound her arms around his neck as far as they could go and held tightly to him her face completely hidden in his mane. "If I had to pick a time over the course of this adventure when I am the happiest, it is right now."

Aslan allowed her to rub her hands against his mane and after a few moments, he nodded his head slightly. Missy was learning, but he knew that this brave girl would hold the key to Vincent discovering that there existed many people who could look at him and; despise his uniqueness, truly love him.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry I haven't posted anything to this. Since one of the reviewers of the other stories wanted to read this, I obligued, but since no further reviews came in, I figured that the interest in this OC was waning and I wondered why I was bothering. At any rate, it's been a few weeks since I posted the last chapter, so I guess out of sight is out of mind, and I didn't get around to it._

_Now, it's been updated...but I will probably not post the sequel to it, as it is a cheesy Mary Sueish story, and I abhor Mary Sues. _

_So, with that said, do enjoy, and if you want a faster update, review. If not, it may take me next to forever to remember to post the next bit. I get attacked by the lazies..._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Vincent was still seated at the table after Missy had left, and though part of him wanted to follow her, he suppressed the urge. She's a smart girl and could always tell when something was wrong, but then again, just about everyone in the room knew that something was not quite right with him. As he waited, a loud trumpet blast similar to the one from the night before filled the room. He looked at the four monarchs now seated at the table and inwardly, he groaned.

Peter stood up and began to speak to the small group assembled. "It looks as though our enemies have returned to Cair Paravel." As he spoke, Tumnus came rushing inside the room.

"The enemy has regrouped, and there is a larger assembly of them outside the gates of the palace," he reported.

Peter looked around the room, the color fading from his face. "I thought we had defeated them all yesterday," he sighed deeply and turned to face Tumnus, "Go and inform the soldiers who are still here." Tumnus nodded and was off. Next Peter turned to the beaver. "Would you go and make sure everything at the stables is readied?"

The beaver nodded and scurried out of the room. Finally, he looked at Vincent, "I fear we will need your assistance again, Vincent."

Sighing deeply, Vincent nodded and stood up slowly. "As you wish," he said softly and bowing, he slowly left the room.

"What ever is the matter with him?" Peter asked no one in particular as soon as Vincent had left the dining room.

"I don't think Vincent likes killing," Lucy said softly.

"Yes, Missy told me something very similar to this when we spoke earlier this morning," Edmund offered shaking his head.

"He called himself 'an animal' last evening when we spoke even though I insisted that he was a hero," Lucy continued to speak.

"But, Lucy, you implied only yesterday that he wasn't a man?" Susan said.

"It was a mistake, and a terrible one," Lucy said softly. "I offended Missy, but when I talked to Vincent after the battle, I somehow got the feeling that he would like for others to see him as a man, and not as an animal. I think it hurts him that he has to kill because it means that he must use animal like instincts."

"But, he's special," Edmund objected. "I mean you saw how he was yesterday, he was able protect us countless times. Just by roaring, he was able to startle the enemy enough to prevent someone from getting hurt. Some of the enemy thought _he_ was Aslan."

Peter nodded, "Yes, and did you see how they ran away after he roared, they looked like scared rabbits?"

Susan smiled slightly and looked at her brothers, "we need to get ready, Peter, we can talk about Vincent after the battle."

The logic of her words brought about concurrences and they left the dining room and began to ready themselves for the battle. Tumnus had said that there was even more of the enemy outside the gates, so they did have adequate reason to be nervous.

* * *

Aslan and Missy were still outside in the garden when the trumpet blasted. Missy looked up, and backed up from Aslan slightly as he began to listen to what was happening. When she heard the sounds, she spoke barely above a whisper. "Oh no," she whispered under her breath remembering the events of the night before.

"Yes, they have returned. Come, it is time to make ready," Aslan said, a look of seriousness crossing his face. "It seems as though I do have more than one task here. You will not be on the battlefield, Missy, but you must have the means to defend yourself. Do you understand what I tell you?"

"Yes, Aslan," she replied remembering what she had read about Narnia. "But what can I do?"

"We will have to see," he said, "but now we must hurry."

Missy followed him inside. As they came through the door, they could see Vincent at the other end of the corridor. "What should I say to him?"

"Presently, there is nothing you need to say, we must make ready to do battle," he said. "The time has come, Daughter of Eve, that you will soon discover just how much courage you possess."

Missy nodded seeing truth in his words. She continued to follow him into the great hall where the four kings were making themselves ready to go into battle. Instead of hiding, Missy could see a table where weapons had been placed. Aslan nodded slightly and she walked slowly over to it and looked down at them. Swords and shields were there, as well as small daggers. As she looked around the room, she could see that the other females in the room had taken the daggers from off the table leaving the swords and shields for the men.

Swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, she reached down and picked up one of the daggers, which was encased in a small leather sheath. She could feel a small pocket in the side of her dress and slid the weapon inside. As she did, she turned around and could see that Vincent was now standing some distance from her and was watching her movements. She could do nothing except look away, as she made her way over to the Narnians now assembled in the great hall.

It tore at her heart when she thought about how Vincent might disapprove of her actions, but after a few moments, she glanced up and her eyes met those of Aslan, who nodded approvingly as he slipped quietly outside.

* * *

Outside, Missy could see the Narnians surrounding King Peter; she approached the throng of people and waited. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Vincent was now standing off to one side, his eyes still watching her motions. In a way it made her uncomfortable, but at the same time, she could see that Aslan was in the front of the large group and it made her feel good that he approved of what she was doing. There was no question, she felt rather torn at this moment.

She wanted to go to Vincent, but found herself unable to even look at him. I must keep my word to Aslan, she thought to herself, but I wish that Vincent would at least talk to me.

As Peter ended his talk, this strange army moved towards the gates of the large castle where the enemy was beating against the door. Missy touched the pocket where her weapon was kept. I am not to fight, she thought to herself, but if I am attacked than I must defend myself.

When they reached the gates, she became frightened when she saw the ugly creatures that were waging war against this beautiful and peaceful kingdom. The eyes of these creatures were bulging, their silhouettes blocking out the light from the sun. She could see the sneers, which covered their lips, and as the battle began, she could only watch as the kings joined their people in battle. Susan blew her horn, and instantly there was more help coming to their aid. Lucy stood near Aslan and watched.

Missy must have been watching a little too long because suddenly, she discovered that seven or eight of these ugly creatures had spotted her had and had started to heckle her. Suddenly she realized that they now surrounded her and they were looking at her and casting leering glances. They came closer, their bodies in an arc, trapping her against an insurmountable wall. She could see that they all held swords in their hands and she immediately reached for the small dagger that was inside the pocket of her dress. As she unsheathed the weapon, she looked anxiously around in hopes of getting some help. Unfortunately, Aslan was now nowhere to be seen, and the two brave kings were deeply involved in their own battle. The enemy had somehow multiplied, but it seemed as though her friends were doing an adequate job of defending Cair Paravel.

She looked desperately around her, as she was being backed closer and closer against the wall. As she felt the hard substance, she screamed Vincent's name at the top of her lungs. In desperation, she began to jab the dagger towards the enemy, who continued to cackle, and inched even closer. She jabbed at them again, and when she pulled her hand away, she discovered that the dagger was no longer in her hand, but that she had killed one of them. She could see the handle of the weapon now sticking out of the chest of one of the monsters.

A second of the beasts centered itself between Missy and the fallen beast. There was no way for her to retrieve the weapon; she was completely unarmed as they came even closer. Within moments, she could feel the cold steel blade of their sword in her arm, and she screamed in agony as the blade penetrated her flesh. She fell to the ground. "Vincent, please help me," she whimpered, her voice barely above a whisper. She tried to back up closer to the wall, but discovered that now she was completely surrounded.

They're going to kill me, she thought to herself. "Oh Vincent, where are you?" She cried as she felt another blade in the middle of her chest.

After seconds, which actually seemed like minutes had passed, she heard a loud roar. "Aslan," she whispered as she felt the dryness in her throat and the beast withdrew the blade. She opened her eyes ever so slightly and looked up to discover that it was not Aslan coming to her aid, it was Vincent. In knowing that he was now there, she allowed herself to pass out, the last thing she remembered was hearing Susan's horn being blown once again.

With the assistance of some of the Narnian forces, Vincent was able to defeat those who had harmed Missy. When the last one fell, he ran to her side and got down onto the ground next to her. "Missy," he whispered feeling the tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry."

He glanced up and could see Edmund staring at them. After some moments, the young king took off across the courtyard as Vincent put one of his arms around Missy and leaned her up against himself so that her head would rest against his shoulder. The blood from the enemy smeared across her dress as well as through her hair, and on her face, but none of this mattered. He looked down and saw her pale face, her eyes closed as though she was asleep, "don't die, Missy, not here, not like this. Come on, Missy, please wake up, I can't bare it to know that I am the reason you have been hurt."

She stirred, "Vincent…it's you…you're…here."

"Yes, Missy," he said softly.

"It…hurts…so…much," she whispered.

"I know," he said gently. "If only Father was here, he would take care of you, make you well again."

"But…you…are…here. Vincent…please…hold me," she whispered, her words coming in rushes as she tried to find a way to alleviate the pain.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, "I would never want to hurt you, Missy."

"You…wouldn't, I…know you…Vincent…please," she moaned as she squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out the pain. She took a gasping breath. "I'm…not…a sissy."

Vincent looked down at her face, and after some moments had passed, he wrapped her securely in his arms trying not to touch the injuries she had sustained. "No, Missy, you're not, you're brave, as brave as you always wanted to be."

"Through…you," she whispered.

"No, not through me, it's you, you've always had it, Missy, long before you met me," he said gently.

"I love…you. To me…you're…my father," she said softly, reaching up to touch his mane with her hand. Ignoring the pain she had in her arm, she knew that all she wanted was to simply touch it, to feel it between her fingers. She also knew it had blood in it, but none of this mattered at all to her because through knowing he was there, her pain was not so intense. After some seconds had passed, she closed her eyes, her hand falling away as the weight of her body rested against him. There wrapped securely in his arms, she passed out once again.

Edmund returned by this time, his younger sister following him. "Lucy, do something for her," he said softly. "Don't let her continue to endure the pain."

Lucy smiled gently at her brother, "I intend to," she whispered and after a second had passed, she waked closer to where Vincent and Missy were seated on the ground, his arms wrapped securely around her. "Vincent?" she finally said once she approached.

"She needs a doctor," he said softly. "Please, Your Majesty, my daughter needs help."

His daughter, Lucy thought smiling slightly and her eyes shone when she heard his words. "Vincent, I can help her," she got down on her knees and pulled the cork out of the cordial she carried. "Two drops of this, and she will be fine."

Vincent nodded as Lucy poured two drops from the cordial in Missy's mouth. Lucy stood up and returned the cork to the bottle. "Now I must go and tend to the others," she said softly and excused herself. As soon as she had gotten up and left, he looked down at Missy. Her eyes were still closed and her face had started to get some of its color back. Edmund continued to watch unable to approach them.

"Missy?" Vincent said softly.

She opened her eyes and shook her head after some minutes passed. "What happened? It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Queen Lucy helped you," Vincent said.

"She did, but how?" Missy asked.

"I suppose she had the right medicine," he said softly.

"I remember, that gift from Father Christmas from the book, it must have been that, Lucy uses it to cure injuries," she whispered as she looked down at her arm which aside from the holes the sword made to the dress she was wearing, the wounds were gone.

Vincent looked around where they were sitting, the bodies of the dead enemies were around them, and he looked at her gravely. "Can you stand up?"

"I think so, but I still feel a little weak," she said.

"You've lost some blood, so I guess it's normal for you to experience dizziness. Let me help you," he said gently as he got to his feet and then reached down to assist her. As soon as they were both standing, Vincent looked around and when his eyes met those of Edmund's, the young king said nothing and backed slowly away. "It appears as though the battle is over, so I think everyone will eventually be returning inside."

Missy nodded as she too looked around and finally, she looked down at her dress. "I guess this beautiful dress is now beyond repair. I think we both could use a hot shower and something to eat."

"You didn't eat any breakfast," he said.

"I had lost my appetite, but now I think I could eat. I suppose I got it back after I talked to Aslan," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"You spoke to him?" Vincent asked.

She nodded and looked at him. "Yes, it was wonderful, but then we heard the trumpet sounding and had to go inside to make ready for the battle. He told me that I would need a dagger to protect myself, that's why you saw me at the table selecting one."

"How did you feel about it?" he asked.

"I felt scared and brave at the same time as though somehow I had the ability to protect those I love. I guess I wasn't all that brave, I was watching everything going on around me and it felt like I was watching a movie instead of living it. Then suddenly, I was surrounded, and…" her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"You were very brave," he said simply.

"I don't think so, but thanks for saying so."

Vincent nodded as he smiled slightly. "You were, Missy, do not believe otherwise."

After some moments, he looked down at his own clothing and then somewhat guiltily back at her, once he became aware that both of them were pretty much covered in blood. His smile disappeared and he covered his face in is hands shaking his head slowly.

"Vincent, am I really so horrible to look at?" she asked weakly noticing his actions.

"No, of course not, but I am, " he replied.

"No, you're not," she said softly. "When I needed you, you were there. If you are so horrible as you somehow believe, then I too am because I killed one of those monsters myself," she looked down, feeling shame overwhelm her. She went over to the beast where her dagger was still sticking in its chest. She pulled it out, and began to clean the blood off of it. "I did this, I didn't want to do it anymore than you would have, but I was scared, and I had to because it would have killed me otherwise."

"You did?"

She nodded, "the whole time, I was afraid that you would be angry with me," she paused looking down. "Or worse, disappointed. But, it's true, I did it before they managed to stab me." She looked back up at him, somehow, now she understood what had happened to him the night before and again that morning. He had been feeling shame for his actions. "You don't like killing and you feel shame for having done it, right?"

"How did you know?" He asked.

"I know you, Vincent," she said softly as she finished the task of cleaning the weapon and returned it to its sheath. Once she had returned it to her pocket, she reached up and touched his face with her hands. "You're beautiful, kind, loving, and caring, but like everyone else, you have a dark side. Do you believe that I would not accept that in you, that I would only call you my father because of the things you do? Jamie told me once that unconditional love was the way of our world, so why is it that you believe that I would not see things about you in that way?"

"I was not aware of how you would have handled this," he said and waved his hand around indicating his appearance. "I did not want you to see me at my worst."

"You cannot protect me from that, Vincent, nor will that one truth depict my feelings for you," Missy said. "What I said that you are my father, I spoke the truth, because you are, in the ways that matter, and I love you without condition, now you must love yourself without condition." Standing there for some moments, Missy began to feel dizzy and her stance wavered and she began to fall to her knees.

As if by reflex, before she could fall, he extended his hands towards her and caught her under her arms preventing her from collapsing. With his help, she managed to walk with him back towards the castle.

As they reached the doorway, the two of them turned around and both could see that the four Narnian Monarchs were now in control of the situation. It appeared as though the last of the enemy had been defeated and that there would be no further attacks. Now, it seemed as though this kingdom would be safe for the remainder of their reign.


	6. Chapter 6

_I will post one more chapter to this and then will move on to other stuff. Hope you enjoy this, and please review. Thanks go out to those who have reviewed this story. It's greatly appreciated.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

As soon as Missy and Vincent came inside, Queen Lucy approached them and took Missy's hand. "You're better, now, yes?"

"Yes, thank you so much," Missy said and if by impulse, she reached out to Lucy and embraced her. As she backed up she could see that she had smeared Lucy's dress with the blood from the battle. "I'm sorry."

"It will be OK, come with me, we'll get you a bath and new clothing," Queen Lucy steered her out of the Great Hall and took her to a place where she could freshen up. As they were leaving, she could not help but notice that Aslan had reentered the great hall and was looking around the room.

"I'm really sorry about your dress," Missy said softly as they walked towards the stairs that would lead out of the great hall.

"I have seen worse," Lucy said as they went upstairs. When they reached the second floor, Lucy led Missy inside a large dressing room. "Mrs. Beaver, are you here?" she called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty," came the answer.

"Would you assist Missy in getting cleaned up?" Lucy asked. "I must go and retrieve a dress for her to wear," Lucy said gently leaving Missy in the loving care of the beaver. She walked quickly to her room and found a pink ball gown hanging on the door.

"Lucy?" she heard her name being called and glanced up to see Edmund coming towards her. He had the look on his face that depicted that he was worried. "Is Missy OK?"

"Yes, I tended to her injuries and she's fine, Edmund. Right now, I'm taking her this dress to put on, so she'll be ready in a little while," she looked at her brother and could see a special look in his eyes. "You like her, don't you?"

"It would be difficult not to," he said blushing slightly.

"Then when she is done bathing and has gotten dressed, then you can return and spend some more time with her. But, I think if I were you, I would go make myself presentable. You're still dressed for battle," she said gently.

Edmund nodded. "Lucy, do not tell her that I intend to come."

"I won't, but I must take her this dress, or she will never make it back downstairs to dance with anyone," Lucy said smiling as Edmund took his leave.

When she reentered the bathing room, Missy was soaking in a tub filled with bubbles. "I brought you a dress, Missy, I will hang it on the door. If you need any help, just let Mrs. Beaver know. I must go and change clothes as well."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Missy said softly as Lucy left the room.

Missy continued to soak her eyes fell on the pink dress now hanging on the door. It looked like a ball gown, so light and beautiful. She stood up some moments later and reached for a towel to dry herself off. The bath had been heavenly, but once she had dried off, nothing would have compared to the feeling of the dress that she had been given to wear.

"Missy, are you managing?" the beaver who had assisted in drawing her bath returned as she zipped up the back of the dress.

"Yes, Mrs. Beaver," she looked up and her eyes were shining as she looked down at the kind beaver. "How does it look?"

"Beautiful," came the immediate answer. "Come sit down and I will dry your hair."

Twenty minutes later, Missy stood before a mirror, her hair pulled back from her face. Mrs. Beaver had taken small pink roses and put them in her hair, and she was left in shock when she beheld the reflection in the mirror. "I look…"

"…Like a princess," a voice emerged and she turned around to see Edmund standing in the doorway. He had changed and was now wearing a flowing red robe over a pair of black pants and a crisp Medieval style tunic. He looked positively breathtaking, and she could feel her heart practically leaping to her throat when she saw him. She looked down after a moment, somehow shyness beginning to overwhelm her and she blushed. After some moments passed, he crossed the room, bowed, and took her hand in his. "You're beautiful, Missy."

"I do? I am?" she said softly feeling as though she had stepped into a fairy tale. She offered a very timid curtsy.

"You must never believe otherwise," he said softly giving her a customary kiss on the hand.

"I was always told the opposite in school," she whispered.

He shook his head, "then those who hurt you are only jealous and use those unkind words to hurt you. Please believe me, I noticed your beauty the first time I saw you."

"Your Majesty…" her voice trailed off.

He placed his fingers over her lips, and shook his head, "no more formalities, Missy, call me Edmund."

She nodded numbly too shy to even speak his name.

Instead of speaking further, he offered her his arm. "Come, there are guests waiting downstairs."

Shyly, she accepted and allowed him to lead her from the room. As they walked down the stairs, she could not help but wonder if he could hear that at this moment, her heart was completely racing.

* * *

As Vincent stood watching Missy and Edmund coming down the stairs, he sighed deeply. She looked as though she was in love, he thought sadly. He was still wearing the clothing he had worn in battle, but when he saw Missy again, he completely ignored his disheveled state. What he failed to notice was that Aslan was now standing next to him watching Missy and Edmund as well.

After some moments, he spoke. "I must thank you, Vincent, Son of Adam, for the help you have given us," Aslan said causing him to turn around and face him. "It is through your assistance that we have been successful in defeating this enemy"

Vincent was unable to respond, for in naming him a 'Son of Adam' meant that this noble lion was acknowledging that, in his wise eyes, Vincent was not an animal, but rather human. "You see me as a man?" he finally asked.

"Do you not?" Aslan asked, "Your daughter, Missy, certainly does."

Vincent looked at him somewhat confused, but instead of offering any further words, he simply bowed.

"Vincent, go and clean yourself, we will talk again," Aslan said and was gone seconds later.

Vincent did as Aslan said and within the hour he emerged from the dressing room, his blood soaked clothing was gone, and he wore the typical dress of this wonderful land; his mane of blonde hair had been washed and brushed until it shone.

He descended the staircase that lead down into the ballroom and the first thing he could detect was that the music was playing and he could see that King Edmund was leading Missy around the dance-floor. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he saw that she looked happy as she danced with Edmund.

He continued to stare at the two of them; it became clear to him that for her sake, he regretted asking Aslan how they would be able to get back home. He continued to watch as she began to laugh, her voice drifting like music through the ballroom. Vincent knew what was happening, Missy was falling in love with the young Narnian King and Edmund seemed to be captivated by her as well.

Aslan approached him. "Vincent, we must speak." was all he said and Vincent's gaze left the dance floor and he followed the noble lion outside.

Once they were both standing on the terrace, Vincent turned and faced Aslan. "I must admit; I am somewhat overwhelmed to be speaking with you."

"We have much in common, Vincent," Aslan said.

"We do?" Vincent was somewhat at a loss for words.

"Yes, you and I must fight to protect those we love, we must accept those dark impulses that drive us to violent acts, but you must understand that your impulses, like mine are there to prevent the deaths of those we hold dear. You protected Missy by killing those intending on doing her harm today. Are you aware that without your assistance, she would have been killed?"

Vincent looked into his eyes, "Aslan, I…"

"You are worthy of love, Vincent, you must allow yourself to give as well as receive love; for it is the emotion of love that will live on even after time ends. You must accept that within your heart dwells much beauty and understanding. Today, you have a child who loves you, and in your world, you have a woman who loves you for all that is within you, all that you are," Aslan said.

"But there exists so much within me that…" his voice trailed and he shook his head.

"That?"

"Is dark," he said softly. Aslan nodded as though he wanted Vincent to continue. "I don't wish to harm Catherine any more than I would wish to harm Missy," he finally offered.

"Do you not see that when you push them away, you are harming them?" Aslan began. "When we spoke this morning, Missy told me that she was sad and that she would sacrifice everything for you. Now she has fallen in love with Edmund, and must cope with eventually saying farewell to him so that you both may return home."

"I noticed that they were dancing," Vincent said softly.

"Yes, but could you not tell that Missy loves him," Aslan said softly. "Did you not see the glow in her eyes when they came down the stairs?"

"I did," Vincent said weakly.

"Missy has reached that age where she is beginning to discover love," Aslan began. "Now, you must learn from them. You say you love your beloved Catherine, but does she not possess the right to know the extent of your love? You already know how much she loves you. She will not put restrictions on her love, but you, yourself, have done that with your love."

"But, I could hurt her, Aslan, I have done so in the past," Vincent said looking scornfully down at his hands.

"Perhaps at one time, those words were the truth, but today, they are spoken in fear rather than logic," Aslan replied, his voice raising somewhat in intensity. "You have learned to accept Missy as your daughter, and she needs you to be her father, because her own is not worthy of her. It is no accident that you met this child that you and her will continue to grow and learn from the other. You were brought to Narnia to discover this. Now you must go home and guide your own destiny. You must do what your heart tells you to do and not always what logic says."

"You mean, I should follow my intuition and ask Catherine to marry me?" Vincent asked.

"If that is what your heart tells you," Aslan answered, "then you must follow it."

* * *

On the dance floor, Edmund and Missy continued to dance, and it was apparent to anyone who could see them together that they were inseparable. "I wish I didn't have to go home," Missy said softly.

Edmund tightened his hold on her ever so slightly. "Try not think about it right now, Missy."

"I'm trying not to, but I have a funny feeling that we will be leaving very soon."

Edmund nodded, "I know, I too have had this feeling since today's battle."

"Yesterday, I had thought that going home was all that I wanted to have happen, but since then I have met you, and now I cannot help but wonder if after I go home, you will just forget all about me, right?"

He shook his head adamantly and rested his hand against her cheek, "No, Missy, no matter where you are, I will never forget you, not ever."

"You have been so very kind to me, kinder than all the others," she said, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. "I do not know if I would be able to say good-bye to you without my heart breaking."

"Try not to think about it," he repeated his words as he gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I can't help but think about it." She suddenly stopped following his gentle lead across the dance floor and looked down at her feet, "where I come from, for a very long time, I was nothing more than an outcast."

"You are never an outcast to me, Missy, in my heart you will always be brave, courageous, and selfless," he said gently taking her chin gently in his hands and tipping it up forcing her to look into his eyes. "A better person than any I have yet to meet."

She threw her arms around him and held tightly to him her tears falling from her eyes and dampening the tunic he wore.

He wrapped her in his arms as well and led her from the dance-floor. As they sat down, she looked at him. "I have never known what it feels like to fall in love, and now I have, it hurts so much. Why does it have to hurt so much? I thought it was supposed to feel wonderful."

"I do not know," he offered gently shaking his head. "Love is a wonderful thing, Missy, it should not be painful."

"Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if I had not started to have these feelings," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Because, I feel as though part of my heart is breaking into pieces. I cannot help but think about when I must say farewell. Oh, Edmund, why is it my life is so full of pain, why can't I just be happy?" Her voice began to crack as she spoke and she began to shake her head desperately.

He wrapped her in his arms and held her firmly but gently in his embrace. When they loosened their embrace slightly, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in a soft, loving kiss. When the kiss ended, he broke away and looked deeply into her eyes. "Missy, no matter where you are, I will always be with you, in your heart." He tightened his hold on her, but could feel her shaking beneath his hands. "Why do you tremble?"

"Because, I'm frightened," she whispered.

"Don't be, although our parting may be inevitable, I want you to always know that I would never ever be further than a thought away," he said gently.

"I know you wouldn't, I only wish you could always be with me," she looked down at her lap. "I know it's selfish for me to speak this way, but you are one of the very few people I have known who has been so loving towards me, so kind."

"No, Missy, you are not selfish, but you must never forget that in your heart, I will always be with you," he said gently. "I think you know that my place is here, and your place is your home beneath the city of New York. Don't ever believe for a moment that I would ever forget you, because that is simply not possible."

Missy nodded seeing the truth in his words. "I love you, Edmund. I thank you for helping me to find that there truly is a beauty that exists in me. Without you, I would never have discovered it."

He responded by wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. When she looked up at him, he had bent his head down to her and kissed her, this time the kiss more passionate and loving than the last.

She melted in his embrace, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7

_Here's the last chapter to this story. Enjoy and please review._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Vincent and Aslan returned inside to see Missy and Edmund locked in a loving embrace. They had returned to the dance floor and were now dancing with each other once again. Aslan looked at Vincent. "It is time, Son of Adam, time for you and your daughter to return to your own world, to your own time. You have learned a great deal in your short time in Narnia. I am pleased for you, and for Missy, but now you must go to her."

Vincent nodded, "what should I tell her?"

"Tell her it is time for you and her to return home," Aslan said softly.

"She loves King Edmund," Vincent said softly. "Could I ask her to sacrifice her first love for me?"

"She is willing, Vincent, she has said this to me, so now, you must go, for the opportunity is close at hand," Aslan said gently.

"I fear her heart will break," Vincent said softly.

Aslan nodded, but he remained stern, "perhaps, but you must follow your destiny."

Vincent nodded and walked slowly across the dance floor. When he reached Missy and Edmund, he sighed deeply but touched Missy's shoulder.

She turned and he could see that her face was now puffy from the tears that had streamed down her cheeks. "Missy it's time, we are to return home now."

She nodded numbly and turned to face Edmund. "I shall miss you so terribly," she said softly burying her face against his shoulder.

"As I will you," he said softly enfolding her in his arms. As their embrace ended, he reached inside his pocket and pulled a small red rose out and placed it gently in her hand. The rose was made from a beautiful thin fabric. "Never forget, Missy, that I love you and that no matter what anyone says or thinks, you will always be worthy of love."

She could feel the tears in her eyes, as she held his gift in her hand, "but I have nothing to give you."

"You have given me your love, and you and Vincent helped us defeat our enemies, that is a greater treasure than any one thing you could offer me," he wrapped her once more in his arms and gave her one final kiss. When that ended, he took her hand, and offered it ceremoniously to Vincent who extended his own to accept. "I thank you for all that you did for us, and I ask only that you take care of Missy and not ever let her forget that she deserves all the good and all the kindness that there is." He looked to Missy his hand touching her cheek gently and rubbing the tears away. "Missy, don't forget, don't ever forget, that you will always be my princess."

"I won't," she spoke softly, her voice cracking as she tried to offer one final curtsy. "Good-bye, Edmund."

Vincent quietly led her away from Edmund and back towards Aslan. Before they reached him, Vincent looked at her. "You are in so much pain now, is there not something I can do for you to make things easier?" he asked, his voice etched with concern.

"No, I suppose it's for the best," she whispered unable to even look back towards Edmund.

"I know you love him," Vincent said.

"Let's just go home, OK?" she said softly, her voice cracking with overwhelming emotion. She knew that if she started to speak of her feelings, she would have broken down and cried. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel badly about the inevitable.

"You asked about courage, Daughter of Eve, and now you are demonstrating far more of that than you can imagine," Aslan said softly as they reached where he was standing. "In sacrificing your first love for the one who has now become your father, you have demonstrated the deepest courage and strength that exists."

"Aslan, will I ever get to see Edmund again?" she asked weakly.

"Perhaps, but do not deny yourself the chance to love again in awaiting this;" he said gently. "At the same time, you must not ever fully give up the hope and belief of seeing him again."

"That means, no, doesn't it?" she asked weakly.

"Perhaps not," Vincent said softly. "If Aslan had meant no, I believe he would have said no."

The golden lion nodded affirming Vincent's words. "Now, my children, it is time for you to return to your home. You will walk through the doorway, at the other end of this hall, and then you will be back in your world."

Vincent embraced Aslan, "thank you for everything."

"There exists no reason to thank me, Vincent, I wish you well," Aslan said.

Missy could not find the words to speak further to him. She embraced him for a moment, her tears landing on his golden mane. As she straightened out, she looked into his gentle eyes, but all the while, still she was unable to speak.

"You must go," was all Aslan said and Vincent nodded as he took Missy's hand and led her towards the doorway that would take them both home.

* * *

When they stepped through the portal, they could hear Father's voice emerging through the closet. "Missy, Vincent, are you in there?"

"Father?" Missy's voice emerged through the closet and she stepped out into his chamber. Vincent emerged right behind her.

"Good heavens, where have you been, and where ever did you get that dress? I've never seen it before," he asked looking at Missy. "And you," he looked at Vincent. "You look like you're both ready for Winterfest."

Missy looked down at her clothing, she still was wearing Queen Lucy's ball gown, and held a small fabric red rose in her hand. "Vincent," she looked down at the rose in her hand. "It was real, and Edmund, he really truly loved me." She could feel the tears brimming under her eyes and she collapsed on the now vacant bed, weeping.

"Was what real?" Father asked going to her and resting his hand on her shoulder. When he could feel it shaking under his hand, he began to pat it tenderly.

"Narnia," Vincent answered. "Missy and I were in Narnia for two days, and she fell in love with one of the kings there."

Father looked down and could see the cover to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which was now resting on the bed. Missy had collapsed next to it, and now she cradled the small red rose in her hands. "After only two days? But, you two were only gone perhaps five minutes. I had just returned from getting the garbage bags from out of the kitchen.

"The time was different, for us it was two days. Aslan had told us it was time to return," Vincent tried to explain, and with a new determination in his voice, he looked at Father and Missy. "I must go and see Catherine immediately."

"What about Missy?" Father asked.

She raised her head and wiped her hands brusquely over her eyes. "No, it's OK, I'm fine, Father. Vincent, go see Catherine, and tell her you love her."

Vincent nodded, came over to her, and wrapped her in his arms. "You've sacrificed everything for me, thank you, Missy."

Missy removed one of the pink roses from her hair and handed it to him, "Perhaps, I did, but you mean so much to me that I always would do it," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Now, you must go and make our family complete."

Father looked at her, confusion evident in his eyes as his one word question emerged. "Family?"

"Do you not know that we are a family?" Missy asked him. "You're more than a Leader, Father, you're the guiding spirit of our family."

Father looked at her, then he looked at his son, Vincent nodded and left the chamber quickly.

Once Vincent was gone, Father sat down on the bed next to her. "Missy, what did you mean when you said that Vincent should make our family complete?"

She smiled weakly, "the same thing Aslan meant, but I suppose it would be best for Vincent and Catherine to tell you about that later."

Father rubbed his chin and nodded as though he understood. Instead of trying to interpret her words, he looked at her tearstained face. "You fell in love?"

Missy nodded, "with King Edmund." She looked down at her lap.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't," she whispered. "It hurts too much."

"I understand," he said softly and squeezed her hand. "If you ever need to speak of this, you know you can always come to me."

She nodded, "I know."

"Do you suppose you will be able to sleep tonight?" he asked gently.

"Probably not," she whispered as she felt the fabric of the gown she wore.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"I guess a little, but I'm more sad than anything, Father. Saying good-bye to Edmund was the hardest thing I have ever had to do," she said weakly.

"I know. Good-byes are never easy, especially when you fall in love. But, those you love remain in your heart."

"That's what Edmund said, but it's still not easy," she whispered.

"Love is never easy, no matter what one may believe," Father said gently.

She looked down at the beautiful gown she wore. "I cannot believe that I returned from Narnia in this beautiful gown."

"Perhaps you should go and change into something else," Father suggested. "I would not wish for your lovely dress to be soiled here, and I believe eventually you will be given the opportunity to wear it again."

Missy nodded, "OK."

"Since you have been unable to sleep, I'll make you some tea while you change, how would that be?" he offered.

Although in the present it was five minutes ago that she had sat with Vincent in his chamber drinking tea, two days for her had passed, and she realized that from her time in Narnia, she was now very thirsty and was grateful to him for making this suggestion.

She left the chamber and as she reached the doorway, she turned slowly around and spoke. "Father, I'm sad that I had to leave Edmund behind, but I am happy to see you again."

"I'm happy to see you, too," Father smiled gently. "Don't be long now."

* * *

Catherine was sitting on her sofa at that moment; she had been reading the book of Sonnets that Vincent had given her when she heard the tapping on her balcony window. She turned around and could see that Vincent was standing on her balcony, a pink rose held firmly in his hand.

She stood up and went to open the door. "Vincent," she smiled as she said his name. Reaching out to him, she found herself engulfed in his embrace.

"Catherine, I have missed you," he said softly, burying his face in her hair. How sweet it smelled.

"I missed you as well," she said and held tightly to him.

"There's something I must tell you, only I do not believe you will accept the truth in my words," he began.

"Just tell me," she whispered.

"I love you, Catherine," he said softly his hand moving to caress the side of her face. "I won't push you away anymore, not ever."

"I love you, too, Vincent, I always have, and from the day we met. But I don't understand, what has happened, you were so afraid before."

"You may not believe my words, but I was in Narnia, with Missy," he whispered. "I met Aslan the noble lion from the stories in C.S. Lewis' books. It was real, he was real, as real as you and I, and Missy…"

"What about her?" Catherine said immediately believing his words when she saw the fashion in which he was dressed. It was so unlike his usual style, but yet it seemed to suit him so perfectly.

"She fell in love with the younger of the two Narnian Kings, and reminded me of how significant my love for you is," Vincent said softly and got down on one knee in front of her. "Catherine, before we returned to Father's chamber this evening, Missy had sacrificed the love she felt for Edmund so that we could return home. Her actions reminded me of how much we must risk to be together, but also how important and beautiful our love is. Dearest Catherine, would you consent to being my bride? I love you; I want to always be with you, and never to sacrifice our love for selfish pride again. Will you have me?"

Catherine's eyes filled with tears as Vincent offered her the pink rose Missy had worn in her hair during the ball in Narnia. In the emotions that had started to overwhelm her, she was unable to speak. All she could do was nod her head in affirmation of her love to him and accept the rose from his outstretched hand. As she held the fragile flower tightly in her hand, she brought it to her nose and smelled the sweet fragrance emanating from it.

After a moment, she laid it gently in the windowsill and wrapped her arms around him. For the first time, Vincent found the motivation from within himself, and he leaned down and kissed her passionately, his arms circling around her waist and holding her firmly, yet gently, in his embrace.

"Take me below, Vincent, forever, let me be with you always," she whispered as their kiss broke, but their mouths were only inches apart when she spoke.

"Is that your wish?" he asked gently.

"It has always been my wish, my Beloved," she said as she reached for the rose he had offered, and waited for him to pick her up in his arms. Once he did, he climbed over the railing of her balcony with her tightly in his arms. Comfortably there, she cradled the small pink rose, and in the very same loving fashion, Vincent held her gently in his arms.

The End.


End file.
